George Bush has urged Americans to make sure they vote for their next president and set an example for budding democracies around the world.

The US leader said voters should take advantage of their right to go to the polls and determine the nation’s future.

He said: “Young democracies from Georgia and Ukraine to Afghanistan and Iraq can look to the United States for proof that self-government can endure”.

Mr Bush said the spirited campaign between Republican John McCain and front-running Democrat Barack Obama reflected a political competition that is an “essential part of a healthy democracy.”

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“But as the campaigns come to a close, Republicans, Democrats and independents can find common ground on at least one point: Our system of representative democracy is one of America’s greatest strengths,” he said.

Mr Bush cast an absentee ballot for Senator McCain last week.

Both White House candidates are currently scrambling across several states in a last dash for votes.